The Manitoba Moose wrapped up a four-game homestand by playing the Calgary Wranglers in a two-game series over the weekend of Mar. 8 and 9. The pair of games featured two closely contested matchups, resulting in yet another series split.
After splitting a pair of games with the Grand Rapids Griffins earlier in the week, the Moose were in desperate need of some points to try and claw their way back towards the final playoff spot.
Game Recaps
Game 1, Mar. 8, 2025: CGY 5 – 6 MB
In what could be in contention for game of the year, the Moose and Wranglers put on a show for a great crowd at Canada Life Centre in the series opener. It had just about everything you could ever want in a hockey game and had no shortage of action.
The Moose opened the scoring early, as captain Dominic Toninato was able to jump on a loose puck and pick his corner over the glove of Wranglers’ netminder Devin Cooley to make it 1-0. The Moose have opened the scoring in each of the last five games.
Sam Morton brought the Wranglers back even, making it 1-1 on a power-play goal. His 15th of the season beat Moose goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis to knot things up.
The Moose jumped ahead again in the middle frame on Fabian Wagner’s second goal of the season, and his second in as many days. Similarly to Toninato’s opening goal, he jumped on a loose puck in front and was able to bury it.
Again, the Wranglers were able to tie things up shortly after. Adam Klapka’s 14th goal of the season tied things 2-2 just under halfway through the second period.
In what became a wild back-and-forth affair, the Moose took another lead late in the second, as Danny Zhilkin tallied his first career goal to make it 3-2. He got open and buried a pass after a great effort from Tyson Empey.
If that wasn’t exciting enough, the third period combined for six goals and a thrilling finish. The Wranglers jumped on the Moose early in the period, with Jonathan Aspirot scoring to tie it 3-3 before Dryden Hunt put them up 4-3 just two minutes after that.
That didn’t discourage the Moose, however, as two minutes after the Wranglers took the lead, Mason Shaw tied things up yet again. A minute after that, Isaak Phillips scored his first as a member of the Moose, putting them up 5-4.
After Yan Kuznetsov tied the game once again for the Wranglers with less than five minutes left in the third, the Moose got a chance to put the game away on the power play. They did just that, as Shaw recorded his second of the game, deflecting home a Brad Lambert shot to make it 6-5. That score held as the Moose won the opener.
Game 2, Mar. 9, 2025: CGY 3 – 2 MB
Unlike the game from the day before, the series finale was a low-scoring affair. The Moose were trying to avoid the same fate that they’ve had for the past several series. That of course was a split, meaning they were unable to string together a couple of wins.
The Moose opened the scoring for the sixth consecutive game, with the goal coming off the stick of Wagner, who has now scored in three straight. His third of the year made it 1-0 on a centering pass from Empey, roofing it over Cooley.
Just over a minute later, the Wranglers tied it up on Rory Kerins’ 26th of the season. He deflected home a Poirier shot over the glove of Chris Driedger to make it 1-1.
The Wranglers went up by a goal halfway through the second on a power-play goal from Morton to make it 2-1. The goal came in the back half of a double minor for high sticking, which turned out to be a very costly penalty.
Clark Bishop effectively put the game out of reach with a shorthanded goal just under halfway through the third. He took a feed from Morton on an odd-man rush and made no mistake to make it 3-1. The Moose got one back shortly after on Dylan Coghlan’s ninth of the season, but that was where things ended up with the Wranglers winning 3-2.
Driedger Back at Home
The results may not have been desired, but goaltender Chris Driedger was soaking it all in on Mar. 9 as he made his debut for his hometown team. Driedger was born and raised in Winnipeg and grew up a fan of the Moose. After splitting time between the American Hockey League (AHL) and NHL with the Ottawa Senators, Seattle Kraken, and Florida Panthers franchises, Driedger was acquired in a trade by his hometown team, the Winnipeg Jets.
Related: Jets Acquire Driedger From Panthers for Kahkonen in Goalie Swap
“I grew up here watching the Moose,” Driedger explained. “It’s pretty surreal to be back in this building and playing in front of friends and family.”
Not only did he grow up watching the team in the building he now calls home, but he explained that he was also cheering on his now-goalie coach Drew MacIntyre as he suited up for the Moose from 2006 to 2008. Hockey has a weird way of bringing people together.
That’s also the case for Driedger and team captain Dominic Toninato, who played together in the Panthers system for several years.
“Him and I played together in Florida and Springfield a number of years ago,” he said. “He’s always been a good guy, he lived in my house one year too. [Toninato] and I go way back, he’s a great guy and a great captain.”
It hasn’t been the smoothest season for Driedger in 2024-25, but this trade gives him a chance for a fresh start behind a different team. I asked him about what he saw from his new defensive group, and he was quick to commend them for the work they did in front of him.
“These guys really battle in front of the net, tons of blocked shots,” he explained. “They’re just mean in front, you want big [defenders] that box out in front and that’s kind of what I saw all afternoon today.”
Scoring First a Strength for Moose, Need to Limit Opponent Response
Despite dropping the series finale, the Moose scored first for the sixth consecutive game. This is something that has shifted greatly over the last month as they’ve improved their play.
With it being somewhat of a new development, there is a tendency to ease off right after scoring that first goal. Last week, head coach Mark Morrison described it as a “false sense of security,” but after the Mar. 9th loss that saw the Wranglers tie it up just over a minute after, I asked Morrison what he thinks they need to do to cut down on the quick responses.
“It’s your next shift on the ice after that goal that you want to make sure you manage the puck properly and don’t give any free looks,” Morrison explained. “Sometimes when you score a goal, the next shift out you can play lackadaisical hockey, that’s something we want to make sure [we’re careful with].”
Central Division Road Trip Ahead
The Moose have a tough trip ahead, but one that could be huge for any remaining chances at a playoff spot. They sit 10 points back of the Rockford IceHogs for the final spot in the Central Division, and while that may seem insurmountable with just 17 games left, three of those 17 games are against the IceHogs. There are six points right there if they can find a way to sweep the remainder of their season series.
The Moose also sit tied with the Iowa Wild at 44 points, a team they also play on this upcoming road trip. They have two games against the Wild then one each against the IceHogs, Chicago Wolves, and Milwaukee Admirals. Their only remaining chance at sneaking their way into a playoff spot rests on this next stretch of games, and that starts on Mar. 13 against the Wolves.
